Sharp, clean flavours give this dish an astounding lightness, which means it works brilliantly as a pre-starter. Paul Foster uses Suffolk cider and apple juice for this apple recipe, but any good quality apple juice will do the trick.
Peel and chop the Bramley apples. Heat the butter in a pan over a medium heat and cook the apples until lightly caramelised. Deglaze with the cider and then transfer to a blender and blitz until smooth. Season with sea salt and pass through a fine strainer
Peel the Granny Smith apples and cut into 1cm thick slices. In a hot, dry frying pan, char the apple slices on one side until dark brown. Cut into evenly sized cubes and place in a vacuum pack bag and vacuum on full compression along with the apple juice. This will intensify the flavour as it macerates in the juice
To serve, add a spoonful of purée to each plate, place 2 of the apple cubes at either end and spoon the goat’s curd over the top. Chop one cobnut and sprinkle over the top. Grate half of another cobnut over the dish, using a microplane, and finish with 2 sprigs of watercress
Focused, skilled and intelligent, Paul Foster works with the materials he has around him to create extraordinary dishes which sing with a vibrancy perfectly in tune with their surroundings.
